What else can you do now, Adam? What else can you possibly do to save lives?

Adam stared down at the corpses scattered across the sand, their blood already being absorbed by the desert. The metallic scent mixed with the dry air, creating something that would stick in his nostrils for hours.

You tried knocking them out. You tried being gentle. You tried everything, and they still died. They still—

"We did it! We did it! We killed all of them!"

"We fucking wiped them out!"

"D-did you see me?!"

"F… fuck. I… I think I killed a child."

"Why… why does this need to happen?!"

"I… I still have their blood on me. Oh, my god. I… I killed three people."

"We're all going to pay for this. We're all going to hell!"

He glanced back at his teammates, and while some of them seemed alright with what had just happened, it was obvious most were affected by what they'd just done.

Adam knew this firsthand—he'd been there before. After the adrenaline ran out, the reality of the violence they had just committed would drown them, especially those who were summoned for the first time.

But still, after the brief moment of rest, all of them began to march again.

Most of them were crying, and some were unable to walk properly. It wasn't just because their sweat made the sand heavy inside their boots; it was because of… the guilt.

Look at them. They're breaking apart already. And you... you're supposed to be their leader now? You, of all people, being called their leader? But why?

Adam wanted to rush to the enemy's Middle Crystal, but he couldn't leave them behind. Not when a Hero might come and intercept them, massacre them all while they were vulnerable. Even though he was positioned at the front, he followed their pace, matching their slow, stumbling march across the desert.

This is what you get for trying to play hero, Adam. This is what happens when you think you can change anything. The Game doesn't care about your good intentions. It never has. Stop. Pretending.

The voice in his head was right, wasn't it? Every attempt he'd made to preserve life had failed. Every person he'd tried to save had died anyway. Grace, Samantha, all those Blue creeps he'd knocked unconscious—they were all gone.

Maybe you should just—

"Adam?"

His thoughts were broken by a voice that called him from behind.

…Adam?

He quickly glanced back, wondering how someone there could know his name. Before he could even identify who it was, the woman asked him again.

"Are you... you're Adam, right?" Her voice trembled.

The other creeps behind the woman looked at each other, somewhat worried and also curious since she was carelessly approaching their "leader." They whispered among themselves, but Adam focused on the woman's face.

And it didn't even take a second for him to remember who it was.

Hannah.

Adam's eyes widened at this. Although he wasn't good at math, shouldn't the chances of this happening be almost... impossible? He didn't even have time to think, however, as Hannah approached him and grabbed him by the sleeve.

"Adam, is it really you?" she asked again, even though she already clearly knew by her trembling and reddening eyes. "How is that possible...? No... I knew... I knew you were alive."

She whispered all sorts of other things, but Adam couldn't understand them through her mumblings.

"Uh… Hey?" Adam said softly.

As soon as he spoke, Hannah lunged forward and hugged him. The other creeps immediately gasped at this, while some women clicked their tongues, thinking they should've done the same.

Hannah quickly let him go, wiping her tears and nodding.

"Uhm…" Adam stared at her for a moment, then said, "Should... we talk while walking?"

They continued to walk… but didn't really talk. The sand crunched beneath their feet, and the only sounds were the labored breathing of the traumatized creeps around them.

But finally, after another minute, Hannah broke the silence.

"What were the chances of meeting again?" she said, her voice still shaky. "To be in the same Dome, and even in the same team—no, to even be in the same lane next to each other. And in the first place... we shouldn't even have met anymore."

She looked at Adam, and Adam quickly knew she was alluding to how he'd even survived, even though their team had lost.

Adam was about to answer, but Hannah shook her head.

"It doesn't matter," she said. "I'm just... I'm happy to see someone else from the scavenger team."

Adam blinked. "Someone else?"

Hannah nodded several times. "Derek's alive too."

Derek…?

Adam quickly tried to remember Derek, but the only thing he could really remember from him was that he was always the brunt of everyone's… your mama jokes.

"Huh…" Adam squinted.

"I knew you were alive because I saw you on social media several times," Hannah continued. "I was sure you were the one who helped that small town with those rogue monsters. Then I saw you again... being kissed by the Duelist of Rose."

"Huh…?"

Adam looked incredibly confused, but Hannah just giggled, showing her teeth while shaking her head.

"Only a month had passed, and you're already... thriving. It—wait," She quickly looked at Adam, slightly shocked with what she said. "I didn't mean it like that. I saw how you tried your best to knock people out. And how, even like this, your kindness remained."

Adam shook his head. "I was just doing what everyone else would."

"...You have no idea how wrong you are."

She sighed, and the two continued walking after that.

But not even a minute later, she spoke again. "Some people in suits approached me and started asking about you."

Adam quickly glanced at her. "Did they hurt you?"

"It was nothing like that," Hannah said, "But that was how I truly knew, even before all those media posts, that you were alive."

She then asked, "Who are you really, Adam?"

"I—"

But before Adam could answer, she cut him off and pointed forward. "It's not important."

Adam looked ahead, and they could now see clouds of sand forming in the distance. He sighed at this and drew his blade once more.

But he didn't rush forward, nor did the creeps behind him. After all, it was important to preserve their stamina.

Everyone understood that… and everyone turned quiet for the carnage that was about to happen again.

The people who were happy about destroying the enemy's crystal an hour ago were now gripping whatever weapons they had tightly. Those who were crying, those who were full of guilt, resolved themselves, no matter how temporary.

And soon, the two sides met each other. The Blue creeps were obviously extremely wary of Adam and the others. How could they not be, when they didn't have a Hero on their side?

"Wait a minute…" Those at the front of the Blue creeps scanned Adam and the others, and when they realized they also didn't have any Heroes, they gripped their weapons and were ready to fight.

Adam glanced back again, and it was the same with his team—everyone was ready to fight, no matter how fragile it was.

He then looked at Hannah. She was gripping her knife tightly, but her entire body was trembling, and her eyes were red. Adam knew it wasn't just from fear. Like everyone else here… she carried great guilt.

He stared at her for a moment longer, and the image of the women who were being trafficked crossed Adam's mind.

She… and everyone here. They're the same as those women who were being trafficked by Susan. They're all in a situation where they were trapped. Trapped to suffer…

…trapped to kill.

And with that single thought, Adam closed his eyes and sighed.

He knew what to do now.

He stepped forward... and then turned his blade with the sharp side now pointing toward their enemy.

"Adam...?" Hannah whispered when she saw this.

Adam didn't say anything, however, and just rushed forward.

"Let's go!" someone shouted from behind him.

"Follow the leader!"

"Kill them all!"

The creeps from both sides rushed forward, most of them still stumbling or having a hard time moving on the sand. Some even rolled down the slopes—the same thing was happening with the other team.

Even Adam's steps were clumsy, but the sheer strength of his legs made up for that. He practically leaped across the sand, meeting the enemy head-on once more. The enemy roared when they saw Adam's silhouette practically flying toward them.

"Kill him!" one shouted.

"He's just a creep! Don't be afraid of his sword!"

"No, move! His sword is mine if I kill him!"

The Blue creeps roared, some were even excited at the thought of killing Adam.

And Adam... Adam also roared. But his words were completely different from theirs.

He roared,

"I'm… sorry!"

No, if anything, it was almost like a cry. This confused the enemy creeps at first, but then... Adam landed with a swing.

A swing that sliced one of them cleanly and completely in half. Adam had his eyes closed when he landed in the sand, but he slowly opened them, forcing himself to look at what he had just done.

To stare at the death he caused.

"Wh—" And before the others could close to the man could express their shock, Adam glanced at them, his eyes filled with sorrow as he whispered,

"I'm sorry."

And then he swung, cutting two heads at once.

This is it. If killing is inevitable in the Game... then at least here, at least for now—

Let me be the one to kill... everyone.

"You... should've done this from the start, Adam."

You really are a hypocrite, Adam.

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